Daily Prayer for Peace
1:00 p.m.
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Guatemala
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Gathering in Silence
Call to Prayer
Lighting of CandleInvitation |
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We greet you in the name of the
Creator who calls us to peace. Welcome to this time of prayer. Each day
in this Temple, we pray to God for peace in our world. In addition, each
day we pray for a different country.
Today we will hold up the people of Guatemala in our prayers. Located in
Central America, Guatemala offers Central America in concentrated form:
its volcanoes are the highest and most active, its Mayan ruins the most
impressive, its earthquakes the most devastating, and its history
decidedly intense. In 1999, Guatemala held its first peacetime elections
in nearly forty years. In 2004, the government instituted major cuts to
the army and admitted its guilt in some high-profile human rights
violation cases. In 2006, Guatemala ratified the Central America Free
Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States, aimed at creating a
free-trade zone and reducing tariffs.
Let us unite as one to seek wisdom and understanding in our quest for
peace in our time and for this world. Let us remember those places where
peace seems to have vanished, but undergirding all, let us worship our
God this day. |
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| Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 37:26-27 NIV |
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I will make a covenant of peace with them;
it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase
their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My
dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be
my people. |
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Prayer for Peace by Dolores McCormack,
Thornhill, Ontario |
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Dear God,
You are God of the universe, the universal God, creator of all persons
in all nations, with each one as diverse as the countries and continents
from which they come. All have been touched with the beauty of your
loving hand.
Because of your presence in the life of Jesus Christ, we are able to
comprehend better your great love for all people.
Because of Christ's compassion and heartache in the experience of
injustice, we know something of the anguish you must feel when wars and
destructive causes bring suffering to your children.
We pray for the leaders and promoters of peace. May the stalwarts of
every nation be strengthened in their resolve to fight injustice with
love. May multitudes rise to support the process of peace.
Help us to uphold in our prayers the victims of violence as well as the
champions of peace.
Help us to be aware that in our homes, in our communities, and in all of
our relationships, peace must begin with us. May we be strengthened with
Christ-like personalities that will enable us to love, to understand
others, to be able to see another's point of view and accept their right
to think differently.
Help all people to be the leaven of peace in their own sphere of
influence. May we respond to your love. In the name of the Prince of
Peace, Jesus the Christ, we pray. Amen. |
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Hymn - Touch Me, Lord, with Thy Spirit
Eternal - Hymns of the Saints #409 |
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Prayers of the People
Please join us now, praying the Prayers of the People. During the
moments of silence, you are invited to pray silently or meditate. |
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We come to you in prayer, O God, to remember the poor,
the dispossessed, the rich, the black, the white, all the peoples of the
earth whatever their nation, color, or creed. May we all know peace,
Great God. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We thank you for so many things that give us pleasure: beaches,
mountains, valleys, fruits and flowers. Indeed, all nature celebrates
you, their creator, in desert or rain forest, on mountain or plain, in
summer as well as in our winter land. Thank you, O Lord, our God, for
all you have done to sustain us. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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May national pride for our country be tempered with the awareness of
injustice that rampant consumerism fosters and may our eyes be open and
our spirits willing to serve you by serving our neighbor, O God. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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Thank you for the people who dwell in Guatemala, for in them we see a
reflection of all the races of the world. May they know the peace that
only you can bring to their lives. This day, make us aware that all your
people are to be loved and handled with care. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We honor and praise you for the guidance and
wisdom your Spirit brings. Bless us and hear our confessions and
petitions we humbly pray so that your peace will become the peace of
this world. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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Please use this space to pray for any
current concern or event in our community, city, state, nation or world
that you feel needs to be held up to God for prayerful consideration.
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| The People Pray in Silence |
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May your lives reflect the light of Christ Jesus as you go into the
world and be peacemakers. Amen. |
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| Sending Forth |
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We conclude our service today with Ministry of Music.
You are invited to remain to pray or meditate in the quiet of this place
for as long as you may wish.
Now may the God of peace go with you and be in all you do for peace.
Amen. |
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| Ministry of Music |
